WHAT IS A GROWTHORIENTED
ASSOCIATION?
LEARN-THINK-DISCUSS-ACT
Icebreaker Activity
What do these words
bring to mind for you?
 Hindsight
 Oversight
 Foresight
 Insight
Productive Hindsight
It is essential for boards to grapple thoughtfully
with deep seated organizational assumptions
and beliefs that no longer contribute to
association success.
 Developing and following a process of thinking
and acting beyond orthodoxy that makes it
possible to respect the past while also letting
go of it in order to accelerate the organization’s
pace of progress toward the future.

LEARN
Ambient Oversight

Association and non-profit boards must
exercise care and wisdom in guiding their
organizations through an increasingly
complex operating environment. Boards
 fully internalizing their critical
responsibilities,
 developing a holistic perspective on what is
needed for their organizations to thrive and
 nurturing a shared understanding of how to
move that work forward intelligently.
 THINK
Purposeful Foresight
Non-profit boards must make every effort to
understand how societal transformation will
create new challenges and opportunities for
their organizations, stakeholders and fields.
 Boards building consistent practice of
foresight that includes and reaches
beyond the work of strategy.
 Reorienting today’s organizations toward a
dynamic and uncertain future.

DISCUSS
Actionable Insight
Non profit boards must help their
organizations respect the past, adapt to the
present and prepare for the future.
 About fully integrating these critical efforts
to create a consistent cycle of thoughtful,
coherent and future focused action always
taken with the benefit of all stakeholders in
mind.

ACT
4 Key Elements to Consider




Understanding our Beliefs
Thinking Beyond Current Models
Focusing on Simplicity
Embracing an Open Culture of Support
LEARN, THINK, DISCUSS, ACT
Innovation, Change, Creativity
4 Elements to Consider for CPF

Hindsight – Learn:
 Understanding

Oversight – Think:
 Embracing

Board Stewardship
Foresight – Discuss:
 Thinking

Orthodox Beliefs
Beyond Membership
Insight – Learn:
 Supporting
Experimentation
Questions, Comments
Examples to consider
Making Choices:
 Membership – human resources, financial
impacts
 Funding – donations, advertising – Hours to
invest
 Youth Activities – Impact for the volunteer time,
budget – Gather testimonials to support
continuing; can it be done differently – with
partners? More cost effective?
 Meeting with Potentials: Sponsors, Members,
Partners – meet without an ask to start; what
are you looking for? Would we be good fit?
Merci Beaucoup!
Sources:
CSAE Board READY Card Deck
https://csaeboardready.net
Sample content
https://csaeboardready.net/whysubscribe/